Leonard hinkle



(No Model.)' I L. HINKLE.

BED BOTTOM No. 484,912. Patented Oct. 25, 1892.

"UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD HINKLE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

BED-BOTTOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,912, dated October 25, 1892.

Application filed December 14,1891. Serial No. 415,016. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

I 3e it known that I, LEONARD HINKLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Bed-Bottoms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bed-bottoms; and it consists in an improved spring-bottom,which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire bed-bottom. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view illustrating a modification.

The object of myinvention is to produce a bed-bottom of simple construction which will accommodate itself to the form of the person or persons lying thereon and on which two persons may lie comfortably without any tendency to roll together.

A further object of my invention is to provide a bed having the above properties which may also be adjusted to secure any desired tension in the springs.

In the drawings, A indicates the side rails of the bed-bottom.

B indicates slats, of which there are preferably three, extending across below the side rails, one at each end and one in the middle. The side rails and slats constitute the frame of the bed-bottom. The rails are preferably connected to the slats yieldingly or in such a manner that their upper edges may be moved toward or away from each other for the purpose of adjusting the tension of the fabric 0, which is suitably fastened to the side rails and stretched across from the upper edge of one rail to the upper edge of the other. The connection between the slats and the rails may be formed in any desired manner-as, for instance, by slightly rounding the lower edge of the rail at a and widening the lower portion of the hole bin the slat through which the bolt or lag-screw (Z passes. A washer 01' may be used to prevent the head of the bolt from entering the hole I). Instead of the above connection between the rail and the slat any other may be substituted which will permit the rail to have a limited amount of lateral swinging movement.

In my improved bed-bottom the woven wire or other fabric 0 is stretched across from side of the bed instead of from end to end in the customary manner. I find by thus stretching the fabric that it will much more readily adjust itself to the contour of the human body and will support all parts of the body uniformly. This is because the spirals run at right angles to the body and different springs come under the difierent portions thereof and yield more or less, according to the irregularities in the shape of the body. When the springs are attached to the ends of the bed-bottom, the same spiraliruns from end to end of the body and bears only on the lowermost projections.

In order to stretch the woven-wire fabric widthwise ofthe bed and hold the same distended, devices for bracing and holding the side rails outward are provided. Thus in Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown devices E, consisting of racks e, attachedto the slats, and braces 6, connected to the upper edges of the side rails and having their lower ends flattened and adapted to engage the teeth of the racks. In Fig. 3-the stretching device E consists of a brace e which is screw-threaded at its lower end and passed through an abutment 6 fastened to the slat. A nut upon the brace bears against the abutment and forces the rail outward when tightened.

As the wire fabric is most likely to sag midway between the ends of the bed, where the heavy portion of the body usually rests, I provide each rail with a middle adjusting device as well as one at each end. These adjusting devices work independently of each other, and it is thus possible to get a greater tension in the middle, if desired, than at the ends.

In order to prevent the bed from sagging midway between the rails and to prevent two occupants thereof from rolling toward and coming in contact with each other, I provide the middle line of the fabric 0 with a row or rows of yielding supports, consisting of spiral or other springs f, resting upon a strip H, which extends across the slats from end to end of the frame and parallel to the side rails. This longitudinal yielding support along the central line of the bed forms a sort of partition, which practically divides the bed into two parts, making it as comfortable and and the upper edges of the side rails, a fabric connected to the upper edges of the side rails, a strip extending across the slats and along the middle of the frame, and springs interposed between said strip and the fabric, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEONARD HINKLE. Witnesses:

WILL EDWIN RHODES, LUTHER M. PENTECOST. 

